Spare light bulb carrier for vehicles and running light indicating systems embodying the same



Aug. 27, 1935. RQHMER 2,012,917

SPARE LIGHT BULB CARRIER FOR VEHICLES AND RUNNING LIGHT INDICATINGSYSTEMS EMBODYING THE SAME Filed Oct. 4, 1933 2 SheetsSheet 1 %IE:NTOR 4A. 4

m 1 mm WA F. D. ROHMER Aug. 27, 1935.

SPARE LIGHT BULB CARRIER FOR VEHICLES'AND LIGHT INDICATING SYSTEMSEMBODYING' THE S Filed Oct. 4, 1953 2- Sheets-Sheet. 2

INVENTOR SPARE 1 mm 0/! DASH Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Frank D. Rohmcr, Midland, Pa., assignor to Bocil Corporation,Pittsburgh, Pa" a corporation of Delaware Application October 4, 1933,Serial No. 692,110 10 Claims. (01.117-311) 'or both of the headlights.Also many accidents are attributable to the failure of an automatic stoplight at the rear of the vehicle. In many places, a motorist havingdefective running lights is subject to arrest. This is true even thoughthe motorist may not be aware that a particular light has ceased toburn. This is especially'gtrue of the tail light or stop light, sinceone of such lights may burn out while the vehicle is in motion and theoperator would have no means of knowing that the light is out. Also itis extremely difficult under certain conditions to know;

whether or not both headlights are lighted. Of

tentimes in the event of such an accident the. motorist is in a positionto assert that he had no reason to believe that any of the lights wereout. On the other hand, motorists are frequently arrested for havingdefective running lights, even though they have a box of spare bulbs'inthe car and are entirely unaware of the fact that the lighting isdefective.

According to the present invention, there is provided a spare lightcarrier in which a complete replacement set of running lights can becarried, the lights being supported in such a way that they are alwaysinstantly available to the motorist and protected against breakage.There is further provided, according to this invention, means wherebyupon the failure of any one of the running lights, an indication will begiven by the lighting of a lamp in the spare lamp carrier. The motoristis thereby warned that one of his running lights is defective. Theinvention further contemplates that the replacement bulbs themselveswill give this indication, the bulb in the spare light carrier whichlights corresponding to that running light which has become defectiveand requires replacement. For instance, if the tail light of the vehicleburns out, the replacement bulb in the spare bulb carrier willimmediately light. Likewise if any other one of the running lightsbecomes extinguished, the corresponding spare bulb in the replacementkit will light This system will thereby afford protection tothemotorist, both by reason of the fact that he is instantly informed ofany defect in his running lights, and in the fact that he cannot beinnocently arrested for driving with improper lights.v The inventionaffords protection to traflic and highway patrolmen, because there canbe no excuse for a motorist driving with defective running lights, sothat the oflicer is not subject to reprimand and criticism for arrestinga motorist who has defective running lights. If the car has its fullcomplement of running lights and its full complement of replacementbulbs, no motorist could claim to be unaware of the burning out of anyparticular lamp. The invention affords protection to the publicgenerally, both by reason of the fact that it assures of vehiclesoperating with the full requirement of running lamps, a complete set ofspare bulbs with a new bulb at all times acting as an indi- :0 cator andbecause of the fact that in any controversy a motorist having the systemcannot, claim ignorance of the failure of a particular light. Theinvention may readily be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is a general view representing the interiorof the .vehicle, showing the position in which the spare bulb carriermay be carried on the dash board of the vehicle;

Figure 2 represents a transverse longitudinal section through, the sparebulb carrier, the view showing the manner of attachment of thisparticular form of carrier to the dash board;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the manner in which thekit opens to give access to the replacement bulbs;

Figure 4 represents a horizontal section substantially in the plane ofline IV-IV of Figureii, showing the diiferent assortment of bulbscomprising a typical replacement set;

Figure 5 is a perspective view in section showing a slightly modifiedform of container or carrier;

Figure 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating a circuit by means of whichindication is given inthe spare bulb carrier of the bulb which requires.replacement;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a typical relay adapted for use in connectionwith my invention;

Figure 8 is a detail view showing the construction of the armature ofthe relay, particularly the relay for the headlight circuits;

Figure 9 is a circuit diagram in which there is a combination relayconstruction, and a in Figures 2, 3 and 4, a body 4 having a tongue 5secured to the top thereof. Passing through the tongue 5 are one or morethumb screws or wing screws 6. The inturned lip 2a of the dash board isadapted to extend under this tongue, and the box is clamped in place bytightening up on the screws or bolts 6. At the rear of the box is ahinge I, this hinge supporting the rear end wall 8 of the bottom part 9of the box. The rear wall 8 and the bottom part 9 form an integralmovable portion suspended from the hinge I. At the front of the boxthere is a fixed bottom portion l0. Resilient detents l I serve tonormally hold the movable portion of the box in the position shown inFigure 2. However, the box may be opened against the resistance of theseresilient detents and swung down through an are as illustrated in Figure3. The front of the box comprises a wall 1 2 in which is a glass rubyl3. Mounted on the rear wall 3 of the box is a plurality of lamp 16a forconnecting the sockets l4, l5 and i6,

respectively, with a source of current as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed.

When the carrier is secured to the dash in the manner shown in Figures 2and 3, it occupies very little room. Upon the motorist finding that abulb is to be replaced, it is merely necessary for him to open the boxand extract the desired bulb from the kit. When he gets a new spare bulbhe mounts it in the socket from which the former one was removed.Tofacilitate opening of the container, I have shown a knob 9a which canbe easily grasped to pull down on the bottom part 9 to open the carrier.The purpose of the glass ruby i3 is to indicate to the motorist when anypart of the housing or container.

one of the spare bulbs within the casing lights upon failure of thecorresponding rimning light of the vehicle, as ,will be more fullydescribed.

In the construction'shown in Figures 2 to 4, the bulbs .and sockets arecarried on a movable It is obvious, however, that various modificationsand changes may be made, and in Figure 51 have illustrated onemodification in which the spare bulb socket or sockets are mounted on afixed part of the container, and access is had to the interior of, thecontainer through a door at the front ,-of the container, this doorcarrying the glass ruby. In this modification, 20 designates the boxvgenerally. It

is shown as being mounted in an opening formed This box or carrier isgenerally On the rear wall of the container, there may be one or morelight sockets 22 corresponding to the sockets l4, l5 and i6 previouslydescribed. At the front of the box and flush with the dash 2!, is ahinged door 23, the hinge being indicated at 24. This door carries aglass ruby |3a.' When it is desired to replace a bulb in the vehiclerimning lights, this door is opened and the operator removes a sparebulb from the socket 22. The two modifications of the carrier as hereindescribed are' merely typical of different arrangements whichmay beemployed within the contemplation of the present invention.

The lighting system of an automobile ordinarily comprises a battery, oneside 'of which is grounded on the automobile frame. The other side ofthe battery is connected to the various light filaments through a properswitch or switches. Fig. 6 illustrates a typical automobile lightingcircuit having my invention applied thereto. In the diagram, 25 and 26designate generally the headlights, 21' is the tail light, and 28 is thestop light. The tail light and stop light are frequently combined in anintegral structure and instead of two bulbs being used, a single bulbwith two filaments is employed. The diagram of Figure 6 is intended toindicate either of these well-known arrangements. The headlights 25ordinarily employ on'e bulb each, each bulb having two filaments, onebeing the so-called high ray filament and one being the so-called lowray filament. The diagram shown in Figure 6 indicates thesedouble-filament bulbs inthe head lamps 25 and 26, as 29 and 30,respectively. A

battery B is shown as having one side grounded at 31. The other side ofthe battery hasa lead wire 32 going to a switch 33 which controls thetail light 21. The switch is selective for connecting the high or lowray filaments of the head lights with the battery. The present inventioncontemplates the use of relays in series with the respective lampfilaments so arranged that upon the failure of any one of the runninglamps, the corresponding lamp in the spare replacement lamp carrierlights. In the preferred arrangement of my invention, there is a singlerelay for the high filaments of the two head lamps and a single relayfor the low filaments of the two head lamps. There'is also a relay forthe tail light and a relay for the stop light. Tracing the head lightcircuits first, one circuit leads from the switch arm 33 to the contact34 through wire 35 to the "relay field magnets 38. From the relay fieldmagnets 36 there is a wire 31 which branches, one branch 31a going toone side 29a of the'lamp filament 29. The other branch 31b connects withthe filament 30a of the lamp 30. The one relay 36 is, therefore, inseries with the two head lamp filainents 29a. and 30a. The circuit forthe other headlight filaments comprises the switch contact 38. the fieldcoils of the relay 39' and the wire 40.

' The wire 40 branches and one branch 40a goes to the filament 29b ofthe headlight 25 and the other branch 40b goesto the headlight filament30b'of the headlight 30. The returncircuit for the filaments is asindicated through the groundoi the stop light bulb. The construction ofthe relays is such that as long as the lights are burning normally, thearmature of the relay will be held magnetically in one position. If,however,

headlight bulb l1.

a filament burns out, thereby diminishing or completely shutting off thefiow of current through the relay, the armature will be released toclose a circuit through-the corresponding bulb in the spare lamp kit.For instance, in Figure 6,

if either one of the headlight filaments 29a or 35a I burns out, thearmature 36a of the relay 36 closes a circuit from the line 35 through acontact 41 to wire 48 leading to the spare headlight bulb I! in thesocket I4 in thebox 3. If one of the filaments 2% or 30b burns out, thecircuit is closed to the armature 39a and wire 48' and the spare Therelay. 36 through its armature 33a controls one filament of the bulb I1and the relay 39 through its armature 39a controls the other filament.Both relays might obviously be connected to one filament of the sparebulb H. In this'case, however, the indication of a burnt out bulb wouldcause one of the relays to act as a buzzer. As soon as the operator seesthat the light I! is burning, he knows'that one of the headlights isdefective either in the high or low filament and can thereuponimmediately replace the defective light. If the tail light filamentburns out, the armature 42a of the relay 42 closes a circuit with acontact 49 which leads to wire 50 to the spare tail light bulb l8.Likewise the armature 45a of the relay 45 in the stop light circuitserves upon de-energization of the coils 45 to close a circuit throughthe spare stop light bulb IS in the kit or carrier 3.

The general construction and design of the relays may be variedconsiderably, and their location in the automobile can be variedaccording to commercial requirements. Under some circumstances, therelays might be carried directly on or in the same casing with the sparebulbs. Preferably, however, the relays are provided as separate unitsand are mounted at any convenient place under the cowl or under thehood. The relays are preferably constructed along the line of theordinary cheap buzzer. The relays 36 and 39 are of identicalconstruction and one of them is shown in detail in Figures 7 and 8. Therelay as therein disclosed comprises a base plate 5| having one or moreholes 5la therein by means of which screws or bolts can pass forsecuring the relay in position. Carried on the base is a bracket 52supporting the core structure 53 of an electromagnet, this corestructure comprising two spools each of which is designated 54 connectedby a cross bar 55. A comparatively few turns of wire are wound on eachof these spools, the wire coils being designated at 56. Secured to thebase 50 is another bracket 51 to which is riveted a flat leaf spring 58which carries the armature 59, the structure being similar to thestructure of the ordinary electromagnetic buzzer. Secured to thearmature is a contact member 60 having a point 6| thereon adapted tocontact with contact mem-- ber 62, the member 62 also being carried onthe base 50. The bracket 51 and the contact 62 are insulated from thebase 50, if the base is made of metal, by means of sheet fiber. Thereare three binding posts on the base, these being designated 53, 64 and65, and they are electrically.

insulated from one another. The central binding post 64 is adapted to beconnected into the battery side of the circuit. Wire 65 leads from thecentral binding post to one of the coils 56. The second wire 61 connectswith the bracket 51. The binding post 63 is adapted to be connected tothe headlight side of the circuit. Wire 68 is provided leading from thisbinding post to one end of the second coil 55. The two coils 56 may beconnected in series by joining wires 69 and 10 or may be connected inparallel by connecting the wire 69 with the post 63 and the wire 10.with the post 64. With 32 candle-power lamps, the two coils arepreferably connected in parallel and with 21 candle-power lamps the twocoils 56 are preferably connected in series. In commercial practice thewires 69 and 10 are preferably left disconnected until the relay isinstalled in the car, at which time the connections can be completedaccording to the candle-power of thebulb which is used. The lowercandle-power lamps.

of course, consume a smaller amount of current.

Less current, therefore, flows through the coils and the magnetic efiectis increased by having the coils in series.

The function of the spring 58 is to provide a swinging support for thearmature 59 and to normally bias the armature away from the poles of themagnet. However, when the lights are burning, the armature is attractedto the poles and the circuit between the contacts 6! and 62 is broken.The single relay is designed to function if either of the headlightsbecomes defective. This means that since both lights are burning, thearmature 59 will be attracted to the poles of the magnet. If, however,one light becomes defective, only one-half as much current flows throughthe magnet, and the armature should therefore release. In order toassure that the armature will release upon this diminishing currentflow, non-magnetic material is applied to the face of the armature whereit contacts with one of the poles. This non-magnetic material may beeither copper or brass or it may be oiled paper of the type commonlyused for electric insulation and known commercially as fish pap InFigure 8, I have shown one manner of securing fish paper to thearmature. The armature 59 is slotted inwardly from the ends adjacent thetwo edges, the slots being designated H. The central tongue I2 betweenthe slots]! is,thus sprung out of position and a piece of fish paperbent to U-shape is slipped into the armature and the tongue 12 then bentback to its normal position. The edges of the paper are then clamped inthe slots ll Without the paper designated 'I3being in place, or in theabsence of other non-magnetic material to break the magnetic circuitbetween the armature and one of the pole pieces, the magnetic influenceof the current from the one remaining light in the headlight circuitwill be sufiicient to prevent the relay from operating. The use of thenon-magnetic material, therefore, assures that the relay will operatewhether the current flow through it stops entirely or diminishes.

The relays 42 and 45 are of simlar construction, but since they functionwith only one lamp filament in the circuit, the two relays can bepermanently connected in series and the use of non-magnetic material onthe armature is not necessary. Moreover, the tail light bulb is usuallya relatively small bulb, rated at 2 or 3 candlepower. The relay for thislamp, therefore, usually he: a considerably greater number of turns Byreason of the fact that one side of the sockets in the spare bulbcarrier" is grounded in this manner, the wiring for the spare lamp bulbsis considerably simplified. One side of each of the sockets ll, l5 andI8 is grounded in the metal box I, which in turn is clamped to the metalbody of the car and the circuit from the relay through the lamp bulb is,therefore, completed through the grounded side of the circuit. It willalso be 'noted by reference to Figure 6 that the relays are interposedbetween the lights and the switch 88. Therefore, the bulbs l1, l8 and I8can only be lighted when the switch 33 is closed. When the headlights orstop light or tail light are not being used, their corresponding relaysare not energized, nor can the corresponding spare lamps be-lighted. 1

While I have previously described the action 0! the circuit as dependingupon the burning out, of one or more of the lamp filaments, kit will, of

course, be understood that the indicating device functions where a lampbecomes otherwise de- :Iective, jars loose from its socket, or where theconnection between the relay and the lamp becomes broken in any way.

In order to eliminate one of the relays, where this is' a matter ofimportance, the relays for the two headlight circuits may be combinedinto a single structure. This is illustrated in Figure 9 in which therelay 15, corresponding in, its "general construction to the one shownin Figures 6 and 7, has a double winding on the core instead of a singlewinding. This, of course, may be headlight bulb 8ll'and the other'l8bgoing to the,

filament 8Ia. of the headlight bulb 81. In like manner wire 82 leadingfrom the switch 11 connected with the other relay winding, and from therelay winding the circuit comprises-the wire 88 and divides intobranches 83a and 83B. Wire 88a leads to filament 80b of bulb 80, andwire 83b leads to filament 8lb of'bulb 8|. The switch ll, 01' course, isprovided to enable one set of filaments or the other to be used. At notime are both sets of filaments for both lamps 80 and 8|.-in use. Thearmature of the relay is designated 84. It carries two electricallyseparate contacts 85 and 86. Contact 86 is connected to the wire 18 andcontact 85 is connected into the wire 82. There are two contacts forco-operating. with the armature contacts 85 and 86, these two contactsbeing designated 81 and 88, respectively. Contact 81 isconnected withone filament of the spare bulb 89 and contact 88 is connected with theother filament of the spare bulb 89.

As previously stated, only one set of field coils in the relay I5 isenergized at one time, because of the fact that both filaments of bothheadlights are never lighted at the same time. When both filaments ofeither circuit are operating;

I the armature 84 is attracted by the electromagnet. As previouslyexplained, however, if one filament fails to operate, the armature 84 isreof the filaments in the bulb 89 will thus be lighted, this depending'on whether the switch 11 is con- .nected with the circuit 18 or thecircuit 82. In

Figure 9 I have disclosed only the headlamp circuits, the circuits forthe tail light and the sto light remaining the same.

The advantages of the present invention arise tage resides in theprovision of means for indicating when any one of the running lightsneeds to be replaced. Another important advantage of the invention isthe fact that when a running lamp needs to be replace'd,'the,corresponding bulb in the kit is lighted. The lighting obthe bulb,ofcourse, is apparent to the operator by reason of the fact that the sparebulb carrier is provided with the window or glass ruby I 3. As soon asthe operator sees the light through the window or ruby l3, he can openthe box and readily see which one or the three bulbs is required. Byreason of the fact also that the signallight which indicates thepresence of a delective running light, is one oi. the spare bulbs, the

operator -of the automobile knows, when he removes the spare, that thesignal in circuit will not function until the spare bulb so removed isreplaced. The device, therefore, furnishes a reminder to the driver, ofthe necessity of immediately providing a new spare upon the removal ofaprevious one.

It has heretofore been proposed, and commercially used to some extent,to connect the automobile dash lamp and the tail light in series. Inthis case, if the tail light burns out, the circuit through the dashlight is broken. Such a system, however, is open to several objections.One is that the dash light bulb is just as likely to be burned out asthe tail light bulb and, unless the operator has aspare bulb, he cannotfind out whether the defective bulb is the tail light bulb or the dashlight bulb. Moreover, standard automobile bulbs, are designed to operateon from 6 to 8 volts. The. connection of the two bulbs in series demandsthat the tail light bulb and the dash light bulb be each 3 volt bulbs.It is difilcult to obtain 3 volt bulbs. :Moreover, if one of the bulbsburns out and the operator does not have a spare bulb, he cannot shortcircuit the defective bulb and illuminate the good bulb, because of thefact that there is then a 6 volt current imposed on the remaining bulb.If this were done, the remaining bulb would immediately burn out. In thearrangement shown in Figure 10, I have shown a modification of mycircuit adapted for use where it is desired to indicate with the dashlight, a defective tail light. Thetail light bulb. is designatedin thisdiagram as 80. It is connected withthe battery 9| through relay 9!.Relay 92 has an armature 93 adapted to close a circuit to wire 94leading through dash light switch 95 to dash light bulb 88. As long asthe relay 9; is energized, the armature 88 is held down to'close thecircuit to the dash light 98. I! the tail light burns out, the relay 92,of course, is de-energized and the circuit to the dash light 96 isopened. If, therefore, the dash light fails to burn, the operator of thevehicle knows that either the tail light or the dash light is burnt out.If the dash light is burnt out, the tail light will remain li'ghted. If,however, the'operator finds that the tail light is out, he knows that itis the tail light bulb and not the dash light which has .failed. Thesystem thus has many advantages over the arrangement where both lightsare in series. Moreover, the bulbs 90 and 96 are interchangeable andboth are designed to operate on the full voltage of the light circuit.

While I have shown in Figure 4 and in the circuit diagram'of Figure 6, acontainer having three spare bulbs, one a headlight, a tail light and astop light, it will be understood that .a fewer number of sockets may beprovided or a greater number may be provided. For instance, where thetail light and stop light are combined and have a single two-filamentbulb, it would ,be necessary to have only two bulbs in the spare bulbkit. On the other hand, some persons may desire to carry two spareheadlight bulbs instead of one, in which case an additional socket maybe pro-- vided. Obviously, also some sockets might be dummy sockets andothers connected in the relay circuits. cations are also within thecontemplation of the invention. While I have specifically described theinvention in connection with automobiles, it will be understood thatthis term automobile is intended to include various types ofmotor-propelled vehicles, as aeroplanes, motorcycles, etc.

I claim:

1. A spare bulb carrier for vehicles having a running light, comprisinga casing, means rigidly securing the casing to the vehicle, a movablecover for the casing for giving access to the interior thereof to permitof the removal and insertion of bulbs, and a wired lam socket inside thecasing for holdinga spare bulb, a spare bulb in the socket correspondinto said running light, said socket being standard for the type of bulbused for the said running light of the vehicle, and means for lightingsaid bulb in the casing only when the said runnin li ht on the vehicleneeds replacing.

2. In a vehicle lighting circuit having a running light and a circuitfor said light, a replacement bulb carrier comprising'a wired socket forholding a replacement ;bulb, a replacement bulb in said socketreplaceable for said running light, said replacement bulb carrier beingremotely located with respect to the running light, and means in saidcircuit for lighting the replacement bulb in the carrier upon failure ofthe running light.

3. The combination with a vehicle having a plurality of running lightswith circuits for said running lights, of a spare bulb carrier compris-'ing a casing having a plurality of wired lampsockets therein adapted toreceive and support replacement lamp bulbs corresponding to the lampbulbs of the running lights, bulbs in said sockets replaceable forrespective running lights, said casing having a movable cover portionwhich is normally closed but which'may be opened to give ready access tosaid replacement bulb sockets, said casing also having a window therein,and means for connecting one of said sockets in the lighting circuitupon failure of one of the running lights to thereby energize thereplacement bulb.

4. The combination with a vehicle having electric running lights andcircuits therefor, of a replacement bulb carrier rigidly supported onthe vehicle, said carrier comprising an enclosing caslng having aplurality of sockets and each provided with electric contacts thereinfor supporting a plurality of bulbs similar to the bulbs used in therunning lights of the vehicle, there being different types of bulbsinthe running lights, and different types of bulbs in the sockets in thecarrier corresponding to the different types used in the run- Variousother changes and modifining lights, and means in the running lightcircuits for connecting a replacement bulb in the carrier in the circuitwhen a. corresponding type of bulb in the running light system fails tooperate, said replacement bulb carrier being of a character which may beeasily opened to aifordaccess to the bulbs supported therein.

5. The combination with a vehicle having a plurality of running lightsusing different type lamp bulbs and having circuits for said runninglights, of a replacement bulb carrier on the vehicle having a pluralityof wired lamp sockets therein and a plurality of replacement bulbs inthe sockets in the carrier, there being a replacement bulb for each typeof running light used on the vehicle, said replacement bulb carrierhaving a door permitting. the ready removal and insertion of bulbs inthe carrier, and means in the running light circuits for connecting agiven'type of replacement bulb in the carrier and in circuit upon theburning out of the corresponding light on the vehicle.

6. A spare bulb carrier for motor vehicles comprising a metal casing, aplurality of sockets in the casing adapted to receive and holdreplacement bulbs, said sockets having one side thereof grounded on thecasing and having separate lead wires connected tothe other sidethereof, means for grounding the casing on an automobile frame,

a cover for the casing through which access maybe had to bulbs in saidsockets, a window in said casing through which the lighting of any ofthe bulbs is made visible and a plurality of controls for connectingdifferent sockets through the respective lead wires thereof to a sourceof electric current in the lighting system of the vehicle in which thecarrier is used and which lighting system has a plurality of differentlights through which said controls are governed.

7. The combination with a vehicle having a dash, and having runninglights with circuits for said lights, of a replacement bulb carriersecured to the dash of the vehicle, said carrier comprising a closedcasing having a window therein at the front of the dash and having aplurality of wired lamp sockets therein for rigidly supporting aplurality of replacement bulbs, a door for the casing operable from thefront of the dash for giving access to said replacement bulbs, and meansin the running light circuits connected with the sockets in said casingfor lighting a predetermined replacement bulb upon failure of acorresponding bulb in the running light system.-

8. The combination with a replacement bulb carrier and avehicle havingrunning lights, of a carrier comprising a casing and means for rigidlysecuring the casing to the vehicle within the vision of the operator ofsaid vehicle, a door for the casing, and. a plurality of wired lampsockets in the casing for supporting a plurality of replacement lamps,said sockets being standard for the bases of the bulbs used in thevehicle running lights and serving to hold the bulbs out of contact withone another, and means in the circuit for said running lamps forlighting the corresponding replacement lamp upon failure of any runninglamp.

9. A replacement bulb carrier for vehicles comprising a casing, clampingmeans on the casing for securing the same to the dash of a vehicle, saidcasing having a hinged cover portion, and .a plurality of wired lampsockets carried on the hinged cover portion, said cover portion openingdownwardly and giving access to the sockets for replacement and removalof bulbs therefrom, said wired sockets being provided with circuitcontrols tor connecting them into the vehicle lighting circuit, saidcontrols being for connection in the running light circuit of thevehicle in such manner as to cause the corresponding replacement 'bulbin the' carrier to be energized upon failure of a given running light.

10. A vehicle lighting circuit having a running light, a circut 104 saidlight, s replacement socket for holding a. bulb replaceable for- (1running light'hnd remotely located with 'm to the running light, areplacement bulb in said socket, and means for connecting the replace-

